I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to communications. More particularly the present invention relates to a system and method for programming a hands free telephone system.
II. Description of the Related Art
Hands free telephone systems do not require a user to pick up and hold the handset when the user is using the telephone. Thus hands free telephone systems do not restrict the freedom of the user and leave the hands of the user free to perform other functions at the same time. Because of this benefit, these telephones are becoming increasingly popular for use in offices and in cars as mobile telephones.
It is known for hands free telephone equipment to include separate, small sized, detachable and transferable equipment located outside the telephone. Hands free equipment often does not use the internal microphone of the telephone in order to avoid modification of the software within the telephone. It is well known for hands free equipment to contain only a microphone, an amplifier and a loudspeaker along with the amplifier for the loudspeaker outside the telephone. It is also known for hands free equipment to perform telephone functions such as compensating for background noise and recharging the batteries of mobile telephones.
Hands free equipment can also include advanced functions. For example it can perform the operations necessary for making or finishing a call such as off hook, dialing and on hook using voice recognition technology. However, the performance of these functions is subject to high cost, high power consumption and complicated formalities. Accordingly, it is customary for hands free telephone users to use a keypad on the telephone to enable off hook, dialing and on hook by touching the particular keys.
It is also known for hands free telephone equipment to include a controller within the hands free telephone equipment for controlling certain telephone operations of the telephone. The controller can include a controller data processor having a memory for storing data and command input, thereby permitting command data to be applied to the controller data processor and permitting the controller to control telephone operations. Hands free telephone equipment of this type can also include a data communication link for transferring data between the controller data processor and a programming data processor external to the hands free equipment. This permits data stored in the memory of the programming data processor to be copied to the controller memory. It is also known to use wireless communications for transmitting the data between the programming data processor and the controller processor. However, this greatly increases the cost of the equipment.
A hands free telephone system includes a telephone having audio circuits for processing an audio signal and a telephone audio connector for transmitting the audio signal between the audio circuits and the telephone audio connector. A telephone holder has a holder program for instructing the telephone holder to perform telephone functions in accordance with the program. The telephone holder has a holder audio connector for mechanically mating with the telephone audio connector and transmitting the audio signal between the telephone audio connector and the programmable holder. A programming device includes circuitry for storing and transmitting the holder program and the programming device has a programming connector for mechanically mating with the holder audio connector and transmitting the holder program between the programming device and the telephone holder by way of the mated programming connector and the holder audio connector, whereby the holder audio connector is adapted to transmit both the audio signal and the holder program. The telephone audio connector can be disposed upon the telephone holder.
A hands free telephone system includes a telephone having audio circuits, a telephone audio connector, a telephone holder having a stored holder program for instructing the telephone holder, a holder audio connector, and a programming device having a programming connector. Program information is transmitted between the telephone holder and the programming device. Audio signals are processed by the audio circuits within the telephone and transmitted between the audio circuits and the telephone audio connector. The telephone audio connector and the holder device connector are mated and the audio signals are transmitted between the telephone audio connector and the telephone holder. The holder audio connector and the programming connector are mated and program information is transmitted between the programming device and the telephone holder by way of the mated holder audio connector and the programming connector whereby both the audio signal and the program information are transmitted by way of the holder audio connector.
In a hands free telephone system having a telephone, a telephone holder for performing telephone operations in accordance with a program in a holder memory within the telephone holder and a programming device for transmitting the program to the telephone holder, the holder memory is locked to prevent alteration of the holder memory while the holder memory is locked. Programming information is transmitted from the programming device to the telephone holder and a determination is made whether the transmitted programming information includes unlocking information for permitting alteration of the holder memory. The holder memory is altered in accordance with the transmitted programming information depending upon the determination. The holder memory can be relocked after the altering.
In a hands free telephone system having a telephone, a telephone holder for performing telephone operations in accordance with a program in a holder memory within the telephone holder and a programming device for transmitting the program to the telephone holder, a plurality of programming instructions is transmitted between the programming device and the telephone holder, each programming instruction corresponding to a memory location within the holder memory. A determination is made whether the transmitted programming instructions correspond to adjacent memory locations within the telephone holder and an error condition is determined accordingly.